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Need Recomendation on Outdoor Combo Machine


cl408818

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Hello-

 

I'm new to this business and am wondering if anyone can recommend a good outdoor combo machine? I have a location I'm meeting with tomorrow that wants to put the machine outside. So far, I've only done inside machines and they're all Seaga and are terrible. I'll never buy a Seaga machine again. I want to keep expanding though and need advice on what machines I should purchase. I found this one on Ebay. 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMS-Combo-Snack-and-Soda-Vending-Machine-Model-39-VCF-refrigerated-/151153853573?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item233178c485

 

 

 

Thanks,

Cyrene 

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I don't know if that machine is outdoor rated or not (I don't think it is) but AMS makes an outdoor model called "The Outsider" but it isn't cheap.  It would probably be the best outdoor machine you can get. for the money.

 

I have to ask you though... how good is this account?  I would walk away from most accounts that wanted an outdoor refrigerated snack machine.

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Welcome to the forum Cylene! Glad to have you aboard.

I'm sorry to hear you got "Seaga'd" but you have now learned a hard lesson and you can move on from there.

That ad is for an indoor-only AMS machine and the Outsider that Chris mentioned is the only AMS that's rated for outdoor use. National Vendors (Crane) also produced an outdoor chilled snack a few years ago and USI has an outdoor rated machine that could be a combo. I would caution you about putting more money into combo machines as they won't generate the income that two dedicated machines will. If your account only warrants a combo machine then do you really want to make a big investment in it? What type of location is it and will the machine be exposed to moisture? If the machine is under a large patio cover where it will never get wet then you could use a non-outdoor rated machine on a GFCI outlet. If the machine will be exposed then I would not use any combo or even any snack but only a dedicated soda machine. You won't have to deal with chilled snacks, bugs, mice, easy break-ins, etc. A soda machine can be secured against most vandals where a combo can't as easily.

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Hello-

 

I'm new to this business and am wondering if anyone can recommend a good outdoor combo machine? I have a location I'm meeting with tomorrow that wants to put the machine outside. So far, I've only done inside machines and they're all Seaga and are terrible. I'll never buy a Seaga machine again. I want to keep expanding though and need advice on what machines I should purchase. I found this one on Ebay. 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMS-Combo-Snack-and-Soda-Vending-Machine-Model-39-VCF-refrigerated-/151153853573?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item233178c485

 

 

 

Thanks,

Cyrene 

Your only good option is the AMS outsider but you'll pay a good $3500 for a refurbed one from A&M and I can't figure how a combo could justify that price.  I'd try and talk them into a good soda machine outsidee and perhaps a simple 3 wide snack machine if interior space is such a premium

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Thanks everyone for your input! I met with him tonight. There really isn't a good place to put a machine outside without me investing in another machine. I have this combo Seaga ready to go so I want to place it asap. The other thing is he does t have a lot of space for a machine. It's at a Vape lounge here in LA. People hang there (kinda like a bar). They also have some big AA and NA meetings in their back patio that generate a lot of foot traffic.

I talked him into putting it inside and he's suppossed to let me know tomorrow if he wants it. He said he's been buying 300 cans of energy drinks a week and selling them all and that's why he wants a machine. It's too much work for him to deal with that and run his other businesses.

He's asking for a lot of commission. What's a "average" or normal commission for a place like this? I told him it should be tiered because he's claiming a lot of volume but i made that mistake already with another location.

what are the criteria in a location I should look for that would warrant dedicated snack and drink machines?

Thanks a lot for your input!

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I agree with orsd, but don't be surprised if he demands more because he thinks he should still get whatever profit he got before when selling stuff himself.  Don't let yourself get talked into something you can't make a good profit on.  Just getting your machine placed and out of your garage isn't a reason to not make money for yourself.  If the commission you pay is anywhere close to your own profit then you're giving too much away.

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Thanks everyone for your input! I met with him tonight. There really isn't a good place to put a machine outside without me investing in another machine. I have this combo Seaga ready to go so I want to place it asap. The other thing is he does t have a lot of space for a machine. It's at a Vape lounge here in LA. People hang there (kinda like a bar). They also have some big AA and NA meetings in their back patio that generate a lot of foot traffic.

I talked him into putting it inside and he's suppossed to let me know tomorrow if he wants it. He said he's been buying 300 cans of energy drinks a week and selling them all and that's why he wants a machine. It's too much work for him to deal with that and run his other businesses.

He's asking for a lot of commission. What's a "average" or normal commission for a place like this? I told him it should be tiered because he's claiming a lot of volume but i made that mistake already with another location.

what are the criteria in a location I should look for that would warrant dedicated snack and drink machines?

Thanks a lot for your input!

If you're looking at 300 cans of energy drinks a week, there's no way any combo machine can handle that kind of volume.  Get a big Royal (no stinking shims to mess with) preferably the 804 or even a 768 if you can find one.  Otherwise you'll be servicing this account twice a week.  If you can avoid the snack machine, do so.  Otherwise a 3 wide would probably suffice as you'll be there once a week anyway just keeping up with the soda machine.

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If you're looking at 300 cans of energy drinks a week, there's no way any combo machine can handle that kind of volume.  Get a big Royal (no stinking shims to mess with) preferably the 804 or even a 768 if you can find one.  Otherwise you'll be servicing this account twice a week.  If you can avoid the snack machine, do so.  Otherwise a 3 wide would probably suffice as you'll be there once a week anyway just keeping up with the soda machine.

 

Every time you talk, I just see Royal Vendors logos everywhere with marketing checks raining from the sky.

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I agree with orsd, but don't be surprised if he demands more because he thinks he should still get whatever profit he got before when selling stuff himself.  Don't let yourself get talked into something you can't make a good profit on.  Just getting your machine placed and out of your garage isn't a reason to not make money for yourself.  If the commission you pay is anywhere close to your own profit then you're giving too much away.

 

That reminds me, a local municipality just opened up for bids.  Everyone was supposed to meet up on Monday so that they would be "allowed" to give their proposals.  Here are a few details of what the contract stated:

 

All machines will be new and will be upgraded to the latest technology whenever it is available (credit card readers, motion sensors, etc...).

 

Vendor is responsible for all repairs.  Municipality is not responsible for vandalism unless the vandalism is proven to be from an existing employee.

 

Vendor agrees to pay 25% of GROSS SALES to the municipality.

 

Snack machines only (coke has the soda contract).

 

I have two snack machines that are up for grabs as part of this contract.  I just laughed when I read the contract and didn't bother going to the meeting.  These people don't even want to pay $1 for a candy bar.  They think they are getting ripped off at THAT price.

 

 

 

With contracts like these, I am more than happy to let some other vendor dig themselves into a hole.

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Every time you talk, I just see Royal Vendors logos everywhere with marketing checks raining from the sky.

They're simply the best Chris - and you know it  ;D  ;D  ;D

 

.............. wish I could get a gig with Royal

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Why are snacks something I should stay away from? Are they just more of a pain to stock?

I don't mind servicing the account twice a week if it means I don't have to buy another machine right away. One of the reasons I like it is that I drive by it twice a day anyway on the way to my daughters school.

25% of gross sales and less than $1 for a candy bar is the craziest thing I've ever heard. Candy bars are $1 at Walmart even.

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Why are snacks something I should stay away from? Are they just more of a pain to stock?

I don't mind servicing the account twice a week if it means I don't have to buy another machine right away. One of the reasons I like it is that I drive by it twice a day anyway on the way to my daughters school.

25% of gross sales and less than $1 for a candy bar is the craziest thing I've ever heard. Candy bars are $1 at Walmart even.

There's nothing smoother to operate than a high volume soda account that doesn't require a snack machine.  Snacks require a lot of inventory and much more time invested to do properly.

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Why are snacks something I should stay away from? Are they just more of a pain to stock?

I don't mind servicing the account twice a week if it means I don't have to buy another machine right away. One of the reasons I like it is that I drive by it twice a day anyway on the way to my daughters school.

25% of gross sales and less than $1 for a candy bar is the craziest thing I've ever heard. Candy bars are $1 at Walmart even.

If your using a seaga, it only holds about 125 cans and 30 bags of chips. Candy is only 10 rows with varying coils of 8-10.

what size of energy drinks will it be? If they are the larger size like Monster, then your capacity will Max out at 60. If you only have the one snack account, you can plan on throwing out 25-40 dollars a month from stales.

I had 4 seagas only for almost a year, lost close to 700 bucks from stales. I now have an additional 5 full size snack machines and the stakes have gone down to about 10 bucks a month.

I also don't pay ANY commissions either. If I did, that would have probably bankrupted me by now.

My point being, this doesn't sound like a money maker location for you. Just walk away and let someone else lose their golpher.

Find a shop with 20 plus blue collar guys and you'll do ok there.

Just my two cents.

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By the way... I don't think vape products are currently being regulated (taxed) by the government.  When they do start taxing, expect the sales at these locations to start to drop as people either switch back to regular tobacco, purchase less vape products, or something else that may lower the traffic at that location.

 

I know several people that like to smoke when they drink, so the vape "community" at that location might partially consist of drinkers who like to vape (as it shouldn't cost a whole lot).  So... even if the "vape" customers dropped by 25%, a lot of drinker's might stop hanging out there too.

 

I am not saying that THIS should be the reason for walking away from an account, but you are talking about spending a lot of money on a fancy vending machine just because this guy didn't want to keep selling MONSTERS to his customers.  You could probably get a $600 can machine, convert it to vend a few selections of monster energy drinks, and put it outside under the roof.  Even if the location turns into a turd, you only invested the cost of a used can machine.

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